An IC calculation engine & reporting tool for a leading animal health company.

The challenge

The client's sales operations team needed a Sales Incentive Calculation Engine and field reporting capability that could automate processing, transform data through parameterized web-based interfaces for monthly calculations, and be managed in-house. Their previous SPM solution presented several challenges:

• Significant manual touchpoints due to plan complexity, with manual data collection and transformation from source systems.
• Certain components left unimplemented due to complexity.
• A lengthy processing timeline of two weeks with high stakeholder involvement.
• A tedious change management process that delayed rollout.
• Offline management of the payment approval process.
• A tedious plan change process without access to analytics or a plan modeling ecosystem.

Objectives

• Automate calculation of sales incentives and enable in-house management without external consultants.
• Deliver agility and responsiveness, pulling data from internal sources automatically.
• Provide flexibility for managing complex plan types and performance measures through an easy-to-use platform.
• React and adapt for faster system rollout for ad-hoc plan changes, with automatic data ingestion and transformation.
• Support various plan types and complex calculations, with access to functionality based on evolving business requirements.
• Configure plan acknowledgment and multi-level payment approval workflows.
• Deploy an integrated sales incentive platform with quarterly change management support, achieving high levels of automation and repeatability.

The solution

Incentive platforms rollout

• Data Manager automates collection, collation, sanitization, ingestion, and transformation of heterogeneous data sources with one-click functionality.
• Aurochs Incentive Manager configured for complex calculations (e.g. portfolio-level qualifiers, multipliers) and eligibility management (e.g. new hire status, transfers, leaves).
• Parameterized web interfaces drive ongoing sales incentive calculations.
• One-click processing enabled from data load to reporting.
• Easy-to-use interfaces configured for managing change parameters during ongoing operations.
• Plan change and financial impact modeling available for evaluating upcoming changes using historical data.
• Analytics and visualizations provided for assessing plan performance and effectiveness.
• Field Reporting Manager deployed for field incentive performance scorecards and detailed admin calculation reports.
• Reports designed to be iPad-friendly with what-if calculators.

Governance structure

• Platform configuration and detailed User Acceptance Testing (UAT) conducted with the client.
• Weekly meetings scheduled to evaluate project direction and progress.
• A comprehensive dashboard designed for tracking implementation progress, discussing risks, and managing requested changes.
• Detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) created and shared to ensure seamless ongoing operations.
• Monthly meetings to address queries related to monthly operations, and quarterly meetings to discuss upcoming plan changes.

Approach

• The Aurochs team conducted a quick proof of concept for an early launch country.
• Subsequent conversations covered roles, responsibilities, support, change management, timeline management, escalation matrix, SLAs, and more.
• After project signing, a methodical approach was taken to roll out systems for individual countries.

The results

Implementation was completed within three weeks, with detailed UAT conducted before system rollout. Key performance outcomes:

• Total cost of ownership reduced by over 50%.
• Total processing time reduced to under 15 minutes, compared to hours previously.
• Key client personnel's time involvement in operations decreased by over 80%.
• Salesforce engagement improved by granting access to monthly incentive progress reports and what-if calculators, leading to better performance outcomes.
• Change management time reduced by over 75%, with most changes deployed in less than a day.